Take on the Pine Pacer Challenge and start the new year with a commitment to health and fitness. Participants will select a running or walking goal of 25, 50, or 100 miles and log miles throughout the month of January.
Complete your miles at the Arboretum, in your neighborhood, on a treadmill, or anywhere else you like to run and walk. Then log your miles on the Arboretum’s virtual challenge website.
No matter when or where you run or walk, your participation will support the Arboretum’s vision of a greener, healthier, more beautiful world where people and trees thrive together.
Event Highlights
Registration in the Pine Pacer Challenge includes a branded hooded sweatshirt made from 100% recycled materials and a commemorative travel mug. Throughout the month of January, bring your mug to the Ginkgo Café to receive a free coffee or hot tea.
As a participant, you will receive a digital badge for every completed challenge and a Pine Pacer Challenge completion sticker for reaching your overall mileage goal.
Challenge participants who are not Arboretum members enjoy complimentary admission for the duration of the challenge and savings of $10 on a new Arboretum membership (Morton levels 1, 2, 4, or 6).
Registration Details
Cost: $69
Member cost: $59
To register for the Pine Pacer Challenge, sign up online through the RunSignup platform.
Registration closes at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025.
Event Highlights
Pine Pacer Challenge Recover™ Hooded Sweatshirt
All participants will receive a hooded sweatshirt with the Pine Pace Challenge logo, made from 100% recycled materials and free of dyes or additives.
Pine Pacer Challenge Travel Mug
Participants also receive a 12-ounce travel mug with the Pine Pacer Challenge logo. The double-wall, stainless steel tumbler is FDA compliant and BPA free. Mugs will be available to pick up at The Arboretum Store starting on Wednesday, January 1, and every day during store hours throughout the month of January except for Monday, January 6.
Packet Pickup Coffee Social
Pick up all of your race materials in one place while enjoying complimentary coffee, cider, and hot tea. Race packets, apparel, and travel mugs will be available to pick up on Saturday, January 11, from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., in the Sycamore Room on the Arboretum’s East Side.
Complementary Coffee and Tea
Throughout the month of January, bring your Pine Pacer Challenge travel mug to the Ginkgo Café to receive a free coffee or hot tea.
Complimentary Admission
Participants receive complimentary admission to the Arboretum from Wednesday, January 1, through Friday, January 31.
New Membership Discount
Register for the Pine Pacer Challenge and save $10 off a new Arboretum membership (Morton levels 1, 2, 4, or 6).
Awards
Participants will receive a digital badge for every completed challenge and a Pine Pacer Challenge completion sticker for reaching their overall mileage goal.
Arboretum Walking and Running Routes
Participants may access specially designed routes via the Strava app to complete Pine Pacer Challenge miles amid the Arboretum’s beautiful, tree-filled landscapes.
Registration Details
Cost: $69
Member cost: $59
To register for the Pine Pacer Challenge, sign up online through the RunSignup platform. Registration closes at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025.
Pine Pacer Challenge participants must select walking or running while registering, based on the predominant method they will use to accomplish their mileage goals. For example, runners are allowed to include tracked walking miles, but the majority of miles submitted should be completed while running.
Participants who are not members receive complimentary admission to the Arboretum from Wednesday, January 1, through Friday, January 31. Members may use their membership benefits to enter the Arboretum and complete challenge miles at any time during open hours without purchasing general admission.
Packet Pickup
Race packets include a Chronotrack race bib, safety pins, and the Pine Pacer Challenge Recover™ hooded sweatshirt (if purchased). Packets can be picked up during the coffee social event at The Morton Arboretum or at Dick Pond Athletics in Lisle, IL.
Packet Pickup Coffee Social
Pick up your race materials during a coffee social event on Saturday, January 11, from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. in the Sycamore Room on the Arboretum’s East Side. Enjoy complimentary coffee, cider, and hot tea and get a chance to meet other runners and Pine Pacer Challenge participants.
Packet Pickup at Dick Pond Athletics
Race packets are also available to pick up at Dick Pond Athletics at 2775 Maple Ave, Lisle, IL. from Sunday, January 12, through Sunday, February 2. Stop by during regular store hours to pick up your packet. Please note that the commemorative travel mug must be picked up in person at The Arboretum Store during open hours in January or at the Packet Pickup Coffee Social.
Packet Mailing
Race packet mailing is available for a fee of $15.
Arboretum Walking and Running Routes
Visit The Morton Arboretum and follow specially designed routes to complete your Pine Pacer Challenge miles amid beautiful, tree-filled landscapes. You can find walking and running routes with the Strava mobile app or by following signage on-site at the Arboretum.
All paved roads and wood-chipped hiking trails are accessible to walkers. Running is not permitted on wood-chipped hiking trails and must be done on paved roads. Please walk and run on roads against the direction of car traffic.
Finding Routes on Strava
Participants may find it helpful to use Strava, a premier fitness app that makes it easy to track miles and discover running and walking routes at the Arboretum. See Logging Your Miles to learn more about using Strava during the challenge.
Follow the Pine Pacer Challenge profile on Strava to see suggested running and walking routes at the Arboretum.
Finding Routes at the Arboretum
Look for signage along trails and roads that identify the start and end of each route. Pine Pacer Challenge maps will not be available from the Visitor Center, so please follow the directions in the participant email to locate routes on the Arboretum grounds.
Logging Your Miles
Pine Pacer Challenge participants record their miles online via RunSignup. There, progress toward your mileage goal will display on a leaderboard that is updated in real time throughout the challenge.
Participants can complete their miles anywhere they like, but are encouraged to do so on-site at the Arboretum. All paved roads and wood-chipped hiking trails are accessible to walkers. Running is not permitted on wood-chipped hiking trails and must be done on paved roads. Please walk and run on roads against the direction of car traffic. The Main Route totals nine miles and runs through the East Side and the West Side of the Arboretum.
Track Miles and Find Routes with Strava
Participants may find it helpful to use Strava, a fitness app that can track mileage on an iPhone or Android using smartphone data, a GPS-supported smartwatch, or a head unit. Please note that mileage tracked on the Strava app is not automatically logged on the Pine Pacer Challenge RunSignup platform. The Strava leaderboard will not be used for the final challenge results. Challenge participants are not required to download the app.
In addition, The Morton Arboretum uses Strava to share enjoyable running and walking routes on Arboretum grounds. Weekly emails to participants will include suggested routes and information about route accessibility, length, terrain, and elevation.
Follow the Pine Pacer Challenge profile on Strava to see suggested running and walking routes at the Arboretum.
Race Apparel
All participants will receive a hooded sweatshirt with the Pine Pace Challenge logo, made from 100% recycled materials and free of dyes or additives. The color comes from upcycled cotton scraps, using 99% less water than conventional dyed shirts.
Vertically manufactured within a 10-mile radius in El Salvador—from recycled fiber to finished product—all Recover™ products are designed to be fully recyclable through the 360° Closed Loop program.
Participants may opt out of receiving race apparel and save $20 on registration. If purchased, the Pine Pacer Challenge Recover™ hooded sweatshirt will be included with your race packet.
Pine Pacer Challenge Recover™ Hooded Sweatshirt
60% recycled cotton, 40% recycled polyester
Frequently Asked Questions
